Ultimate Star to showcase his musical prowess on the global athletics stage World and Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis will swap the pole vault runway for the recording studio to create the anthem for the groundbreaking World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest. Having recently broken the world record for a 15th time with a clearance of 6.31m, the 26-year-old is pursuing his other major passion as the creative mastermind behind the musical backdrop to the event. In Tokyo last year, Duplantis was named the Ultimate Star for the inaugural event and, taking his ambassadorial role to another level, he will pen the Ultimate Anthem for the three-evening event, a spectacular climax to a summer of athletics. The Swede has made no secret of his musical passions. His first single, Bop – released in February 2025 – made the Swedish charts. In February of this year, he sang his latest song Feelin’ Myself live on national TV and it acted as the soundtrack to his latest world record at the Mondo Classic in Uppsala, Sweden, earlier this month. He already has 5.5 million streams of his music on Spotify alone. “I’m always looking to push the boundaries in everything I do, whether that’s on the pole vault runway or in the recording studio,” said Duplantis. “I don’t just want to be an ambassador because I feel very passionate about this event. This combines my shared passions and I’m looking forward to unveiling to the world an anthem that sums up the Ultimate Championship.” The anthem will act as the inspiration behind the sonic identity of the Ultimate, with the song part of the fabric of the championship in-broadcast and in-stadium. Duplantis is among the athletes already qualified for the inaugural event in Budapest from 11-13 September where each individual winnerÂ
